McDonald’s in the US has made a major change to their McFlurries that is great for the environment, but has some fans outraged.
The changes include a new cardboard packaging that folds at the top to eradicate the need for a plastic cup and lid.
The change that has people outraged, however, involves the iconic hollow plastic spoon, which has, spoiler alert; been nixed.
McFlurries now come with a wooden spoon, and although the changes have been around for a while in the UK and Canada, these changes were brought to the US at the beginning of September, and fans are not happy.
A TikTok, posted back in August when the changes first rolled out in Canada, sparked some complaints from McDonald’s fans in the comments.
“The wooden spoon is something made of nightmares tho.” One user commented.
“I can’t handle wooden spoons, it makes me cringe so much. I have plastic cutlery in my car.” another mentioned.
People were taking things a step further, too, suggesting that they would rather go to Dairy Queen, or make their own flurries at home.
This isn’t the only difference to the beloved ice cream that comes with the environmental move. The old McFlurry spoons (the hollow ones we all know and love), actually doubled as kitchen equipment, and clicked onto the ice cream mixer to make sure your toppings were evenly mixed throughout the McFlurry.
Now, McFlurry toppings will simply go on top of your ice cream, meaning you have to do the work yourself with the wooden spoon.
Although this may be upsetting to fans, McDonald’s stand by this change:
““Packaging updates like this matter,” Michael Gonda, SVP, Chief Impact Officer of North America for McDonald’s, said in a statement. “Not only is this a fun new way for our U.S. fans to enjoy the McFlurry; we’re also moving one step closer to fulfilling our packaging and waste commitments.”
Aside from the ecological benefits, there is an upside to all of this. McFlurries will now be available in the US in mini sizes, following suit from the UK and Europe.
These mini McFlurries are cheaper, have the same amount of toppings with less soft-serve, and are perfect for a light snack.
The old McFlurry containers may be gone for good, but rumor has it that these popular discontinued menu items may be making a comeback soon.